The Burial of Polynices
by nb8987
Summary: Skye Tate and other Terra Novans deal poorly with the aftermath of the occupation of Terra Nova by Lucas Taylor and the Phoenix Group.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: Hi! Here is my first multi-chapter story! It is rated M for mature themes. WARNING : slightly unconventional pairings, but I tried to make it as realistic as possible. I hope you like it!

__

Sitting on the hammock with Josh, Skye leaned in, her lips brushing his gently. Only this time, he didn't break away. The kiss deepened and she sighed into him, wanting more. Running her hand up his chest, she felt his heartbeat under his jacket. She had waited so long for this. She had never wanted anything more than she wanted him. Glancing up once more, she meant to stare deeply into his blue eyes; to make this moment theirs and no one elses'.

_They weren't Josh's eyes. Bright green, full of rage and hatred and desire, the eyes staring back at her were familiar and terrifying. Lucas smiled, his deranged gaze penetrating. "I knew you'd never forget, Bucket."_

_"You betrayed me again." He said quietly, his hand clutching her cheek. Then, he kissed her again, not gently this time, threading his fingers through her hair, gripping the back of her neck, his beard scratching her face. Fear and need flooded her veins. Confused, she tried to get up and run away, but was locked to him by way of her lips and his green eyes._

_"You promised, Bucket." Before she could reply, her head slammed into the cold, hard, metallic rover and her vision went black._

Skye awoke, her hand flying to her head, expecting to see stars and Nykoraptors. She was in the new housing unit she shared with her mother. Built for members of the 11th pilgrimage, the anticipated occupants had either been blown apart by the suicide bomber or hadn't made it through the portal at all. She suspected Taylor had assigned them there as a reminder of what she had done to the colony.

As she shifted to look at her alarm clock, something pressed into her ankle. It took her a moment to remember what it was: a tracking device. Shortly after order in the colony had been re-established, and before any reconstruction had begun, Commander Taylor summoned her to his office and meted out her punishment for aiding the Sixers and Lucas.

Although she had redeemed herself by helping retake Terra Nova and saving his life, Taylor wanted to make it clear that she was in part responsible for the colony's losses. First, she was to work at the infirmary as an orderly. She would no longer be considered an intern. Instead she would arrive early in the morning, cataloging the supplies needed for the day and sterilizing equipment.

During operation hours, she would clean up after the doctors and nurses, empty bedpans, fetch any equipment or perform any menial task the staff required. She was on her feet for twelve hours a day, six days a week. On the seventh day she was to remain in her unit with her mother, and not venture outside without permission from the Commander himself.

This would be ensured by the tracking device clamped around her ankle. It monitored where she was at all times. If at any moment she strayed from the location where she was supposed to be, an alarm signal would be transmitted, and a soldier would be dispatched immediately to find her. Taylor decreed that she would wear the device for three and a half months. During this time, she would only be allowed to venture between the infirmary and her unit, with special permission granted to go grocery shopping in the marketplace.

After three months Skye hadn't gotten used to the device. She itched underneath it and tried to adjust it to be more comfortable, but she did not dare try to remove it. As much as her lack of freedom ate away at her, her hope for reconciliation with the Commander outweighed any desire to sneak outside the gates.

She had barely seen any of her friends in the past three months. Tasha would check on her mother while she was at work, and they had lunch together on her days off. Josh had noticeably not visited during that time. She figured that she had time to win him back. She knew that he was probably still mourning Kara, focusing on re-establishing his life, his future, in Terra Nova.

Skye looked at her clock: 0300. Only two hours left before she had to wake up for work. Sighing, she glanced at the date next to the time and smiled tiredly. Today was her last day being tracked. That evening her device would be remotely disabled and it would fall off on its own. No fanfare, no soldiers, no Commander to announce her freedom.

She thought about her plans to celebrate that night. Her old housemates, completely unrelated to her impending freedom, were throwing a party. Ever since the trauma of the invasion, the youth of Terra Nova had been feeling more rebellious. Josh would be there; Tasha had confirmed that he had been at every other party they had thrown. Skye would finally tell Josh how she felt about him. Or, at least how she thought she felt about him.

_He defended you from Lucas and almost got himself killed for it, _she told herself. _You've loved him since the day you met him and saved his life from Slashers._

This thought, however, brought up an unpleasant memory, filling her with the same dread she had felt upon waking up. The memory of the second time she saved his life, three months earlier.

_Lucas, his swollen cheek darkening quickly, swallowed a pill and washed it down with a mouthful of the unknown liquor he kept by his desk. The Shannon boy would pay dearly for his insolence. Clenching his (father's) desk, bruised knuckles whitening while his rage seethed close beneath the surface of his skin, licking like dancing flames._

_"Lucas." His head snapped up and he saw Skye standing before his desk, looking terrified but determined._

_"I'm not in the mood, Bucket." He growled, and took another sip of his drink, feeling the cool drugs start to mingle with the buzzing calm of the alcohol through his veins._

_"Lucas, please don't kill Josh Shannon." Skye's voice sounded braver than she looked._

_"Why shouldn't I? He attacked me. Plus, his father may need some ... encouragement when I interrogate him about __**our**__ father." He raised his eyebrow and looked straight into her eyes, which were pleading for her friend's release. She puffed out a held-in breath and looked away. He clearly enjoyed having her at his mercy._

_"Is he your boyfriend, Bucket? Is this why?" Quickly, he rounded his desk, stood in front of her with his hands on her shoulders, his face inches from hers. She could smell the alcohol on his breath, trying not to imagine how much more dangerous a drunk Lucas Taylor could be than his sober counterpart._

_"No, he's not." Skye said nervously. "He's ... a friend."_

_"A friend …" Lucas sneered "... with benefits?"_

_"No!" Skye replied defensively._

_"But you do have a boyfriend, don't you, dear sister? A pretty girl like you." Lucas was enjoying watching her shift uncomfortably under his interrogation._

_"No," Skye heard herself saying, shaking her head, "never."_

_"That's good," he said, his arms dropping suddenly from her shoulders as he rounded the desk, business-like. "I'd hate for my little sister to have been … deflowered by such a pathetic coward." He smiled, mockingly._

_"He's not a … " Skye nearly yelled, but stopped when Lucas' head snapped up and his eyes flashed with rage._

_"You want to save your 'friend,' Bucket?" Lucas asked venomously._

_Skye nodded, bracing herself, staring into his eyes and taking a deep breath._

_"As your brother, all I ask ... is that you promise me ... dear sister ... that you'll save yourself, your … purity," he said with an affected air and gesture towards her body. _

_"... for someone who truly deserves it. Not a worthless boy like him. Promise me that?" Lucas was once again in her personal space, his face close to hers, his hand brushing her hair away from her cheek. She could smell the alcohol on his hot breath and the jungle on his skin. He ran his fingers against her face, her neck, her shoulder, her collarbone. She was aware of her chest, rising and falling so close to his._

_Her heart pounding furiously, she looked into his green eyes and replied: "fine."_

_"Wonderful," He whispered hoarsely, straightening up quickly. "Come on, we'll go release him now. I'd like a few words with his father, anyway."_

_"Wait!" Skye's face fell in astonishment. "You wanted this to happen! You used me to provoke Josh, knowing Mr. Shannon would protect him!"_

_"Oh, Bucket. You really are too smart for your own good." Lucas flashed his bright, white teeth and again caressed her face possessively.  
_

_Skye followed Lucas to the brig. At one point, he rested a hand on her lower back, guiding her along. Shivers raced up her spine and she didn't pull away. She knew what she had promised, and she could no longer pull away from Lucas Taylor._


	2. Chapter 2

The first patients began arriving at the infirmary shortly after 0900. Rebuilding and reinforcing the colony meant many cuts and bruises from tractors, machetes and ploughs. Skye, having already been there for three hours, plodded on with her menial tasks. She would check in with Dr. Shannon every time she was finished, for a new assignment.

While wiping down the unoccupied biobeds, Skye couldn't help but let her mind wander to what she would do when she got off work later. She remembered a conversation with Tasha nearly a month earlier:

_"I mean, it's been almost three months since … you know."_

_"Yeah, Tasha, I know. But, don't you think he needs more time to, you know, grieve?"_

_"I don't know. I heard somewhere that you should give someone one month for every year they'd been with their ex. How long was Josh with her, anyways?"_

_"I don't know... like, three years?"_

_"So, you give him three months, then you can go for it."_

_"Tasha, doesn't that seem … reductive?"_

_"Who cares? Skye, you've been absolutely pining over him practically since he stepped through the portal. Besides, you deserve some happiness after everything you've been through."_

It was more than three months since Kara had died because of her. More than three months since Skye had broken the heart of the boy she loved more than anything in Terra Nova. More than three months that she had lived in practical isolation, without speaking to Josh or Hunter or Taylor or anyone besides her mother or Tasha or Dr. Shannon. More than three months since she had made her promise to Lucas.

Skye shook her head, trying to wrestle Lucas out of her mind. Before their conversation, the conversation that had resulted in Josh walking free, she had been in love with Josh. She wanted no one but him. But then Lucas had gone and warped everything she thought she knew about love, about wanting.

She was damaged. She knew that. The death of her father, her long time spent spying for the Sixers, she would never be as pure and good and worthy as Josh or his family. But she never thought she would find herself relating to the man she was supposed to despise. She saw in Lucas the same longing; the same need, for approval from his, "their," father. Every time she looked at him it reminded her of how difficult it would be to gain Taylor's forgiveness. Every time he brushed her cheek with his calloused, dirty hand, she was oddly comforted, knowing that at least one Taylor wanted her. For the past four months her dreams had featured pain and pleasure at the hands of Lucas Taylor.

"Skye?" Snapping her head up, she heard Dr. Shannon calling her name from across the infirmary. "Could you please finish bandaging this patient? Dr. Wallace needs my help in the lab."

Nodding her head, she obediently made her way to the bed Dr. Shannon had been standing by. Picking up the half-bandaged limb, she barely noticed the human to which it was attached.

"Hello, Skye," said Tim Curran.

"Oh, hi, Curran." Skye replied, slightly embarrassed that she had not recognized the man who had rescued her mother from Mira and the Sixers.

Curran cleared his throat. "So... how's it going?"

"Fine," she replied almost automatically, "How are you?"

"I'm alright," he said, "only seven more months until I can apply to rejoin Security."

She had forgotten that he was under many of the same restrictions as she was. Tasha had heard that Curran was required to spend one whole year on labor duty before he could rejoin his comrades.

"And only another four months until I get this off," he said, gesturing towards his ankle.

Skye looked down and saw attached to the man's ankle the same device that she had been wearing for the past three and a half months. He must know that she had one, too, and wanted someone to sympathize with, someone who understood. She continued her task.

"You're all set," she replied shortly, finished with his bandage.

"Your mom," he continued eagerly, "how is she?"

"She's fine," she said unemotionally. Looking at his face for the first time, she saw his sincere need for someone to share, to understand, to connect. "She's doing much better. Thanks to you." Skye smiled kindly at the man who had saved her mother from a slow, painful death.

The smile was enough for Curran, who hopped off the bed and strode out the door with a wave and a smile in return. Skye leaned back into the bed, thinking about how everything she had done to keep her mother alive hadn't mattered at all, since it had been Curran who had saved her and brought her to Terra Nova. Kara's and Lieutenant Washington's deaths, the destruction of the portal, Taylor's injury, Lucas' death, would never have happened if Curran had just rescued her mother as soon as he had gotten there.

_Lucas' death._ He was dead. She had killed him, shot him twice in the chest. She no longer owed him anything; her promise to remain "pure" was null and void. She could finally be with Josh, the boy she loved.

But Lucas had changed her. Before, she had barely thought about desire. But when Lucas placed his hand protectively on her lower back, or when he gripped her hand fiercely in Boylan's, or when he grabbed her by the hair and slammed her face into the rover, she understood the sensation of losing control, of need, of desire. Lucas had been the first man to _want _her and to let her know it. And, as a result of his absolute control over her and the colony's fates, this desire had become her own. And that desire haunted her, even in her dreams, when Lucas would come and control her once again.

She needed to regain control somehow. She needed to prove to Lucas that she wasn't his. That she was in control of her own fate. She needed to break the sick, twisted promise she had made to him, to finally show him that he didn't control her. She needed Josh, in all of the ways a woman could possibly need a man.

She hoped Tasha was right, because that night, as soon as her ankle monitor deactivated and her sentence ended, she would make Josh Shannon hers.


	3. Chapter 3

Skye's final day with her monitoring device was not any different from any of the days of the last three and half months. As she was folding some bed sheets and medical gowns, she heard a beeping noise and felt the device spring open. At that moment, Dr. Shannon and Malcolm happened to be walking by.

"Oh, Skye," Dr. Shannon exclaimed loudly, looking down at the now-purposeless piece of technology lying on the floor, "is it six o'clock already? You should leave!"

Skye's face flushed and she glanced away from the pair. Obviously, the two most senior science and medical staff had known about her situation, had been aware of the criminal in their midst. She just hadn't expected them to keep track of when she was due to be released. Apparently, some members of the colony hadn't forgotten her betrayal.

"Alright, I'll see you Monday, then," Skye replied, hurrying towards the door. Once she exited the infirmary, she thought about her freedom at that moment: she could go anywhere- within the colony. She headed back to her new housing unit. She said hello to her mother and then took a quick, cold shower (everything- even hot water- was being rationed after the destruction of the portal and with it the importation of replacement technology).

In her room, she opened her closet and laid on her bed the dress she had bought months ago, before Lucas, before the Phoenix Group. She had never worn or wanted a dress before, but seeing it in the marketplace that day had made her act impulsively. It was a pink dress, a very simple design, like all of the other clothing made from materials that had been produced entirely in Terra Nova. She had spent nearly her entire savings on it: one hundred Terras. Tasha had squealed with delight when she saw it. However, that same night, Josh had turned her down after they kissed in the hammock. The dress stayed in her closet and Skye made a point to visit her mother more often, which meant bringing the Sixers more intel.

Slipping into the dress, Skye realized that she had lost weight since the last time she had worn it. The stress from the occupation of Terra Nova, then the resistance, then her punishment, all while taking care of her recovering mother, had clearly taken a toll on her. She looked in the small mirror above her dresser. Her face looked thinner and older, without any traces or hints of youth. She was an adult.

_Well, not entirely,_ she thought. After tonight, though, she would finally be a woman. The woman she had wanted to be before everything had gone to hell. Josh's girlfriend. She would walk into Tasha's party, see him, and everything would be forgotten.


	4. Chapter 4

She downed another mouthful of the clear, potent alcohol she'd been drinking all night. It had been hours since she'd set out from her housing unit. She was completely free to do whatever, go wherever, she wanted. And she wanted to go to the party. She wanted to see Josh.

She entered her old housing unit as the party was in full swing. The music pumping through the speakers was unfamiliar, different from any music from past parties. Turning to Tasha, she asked: "when did we get new music?"

"Um, I think Josh brought it. After the eleventh..." Tasha replied, awkwardly twirling an earring.

So, it was Kara's music. Skye paused and noticed the music was more intense and angrier than their old stuff. Had the future become even worse in only a year?

Moving towards the kitchen, she and Tasha took a drink of Hunter's prehistoric moonshine together and she glanced at Josh, across the room. He was watching sullenly as Mark and Maddy danced closely among the other young Terra Novans. The party was bigger, and louder, and wilder than the parties they had thrown before the occupation. People were drinking more. Standing outside the back door was Michaelson, Malcolm's new lab assistant.

"He's been secretly using the molecular synthesizer in the lab to make these… chemicals." Tasha said, coming up behind her with their refilled cups.

"They can make you feel anything. He's charging twenty terras for one pill, but they say it's totally worth it. They say it can make you forget everything bad."

Throughout the night, she would catch Josh's eye. She knew he was watching her, too. Just like when he was watching the night Lucas touched her face and sealed her fate with a twisted promise. A promise she needed to break. Here, tonight and now. She needed to talk to him. She flirted with the off-duty soldiers, hoping to catch his eye.

Finally, she touched an arm too many times.

He caught her roughly as she went to take another drink.

"What are you doing?" Josh asked.

She was very drunk. Too drunk to care about how others besides him saw her.

"I'm here for you, Josh." She drew close to him and stared into his eyes. It was a different Josh from her dreams. Still mad and indignant, he turned away from her.

She grasped at his arm desperately. "Please, talk to me," Skye begged.

"Fine." They walked outside to the back patio. They were finally alone, and it was perfect. Skye kissed Josh passionately, grasping the collar of his jacket. She remembered how kissing him had felt in her dream, and her heart raced and she felt so dizzy like after her head hit the rover. She wanted to make him hers.

But then Josh pulled away from her again, hands on her waist and blue eyes confused and upset, as the deep bass rumbled from inside the housing unit.

"Whoa, whoa, Skye," he said, shaking his shaggy hair.

Breathless, she stared into his eyes, hoping for something in return. His arms were still on her waist. The breeze was cool against her hot, hot skin.

"You should go home," Josh said, diplomatically, sounding like his father. "You have had too many drinks."

"Too many?" Skye repeated, offended. "You think I've had _too many_?" She whirled out of his grasp, all curls and alcohol and anger.

She had obviously had too much to drink, but hearing it from the boy she had intended to lose her virginity to made it more obvious. She felt foolish, absurd, childish.

This was not how it was supposed to happen. She was supposed to break Lucas' deal tonight, to be rid of the innocence that haunted her. It was Lucas' fault, his rejection. She tried to kiss him again, but his lips were unyielding.

"You... don't want me?" She asked, staring into her boy's sad eyes.

"Not like this, Skye. Not like this," he replied.

"Fine," she said, furious. She spun on her heel and stormed away from the party, down the line of darkened housing units. She wanted to look back, to see Josh following her, stopping her and making it all better. But, no, she had ruined it again. It was her fault this was all broken.

_No, _she told herself _it's Josh's fault. He's too sensitive. Too brooding. If he could just stop living in the past, they could be together and all would be right again. _She stormed through the closed down marketplace, furious at Josh and frustrated with herself. She wanted to punish him, to take from him something that he loved. Her rage propelled her towards the Shannon home.

_The guitar. _She remembered how she had spent sixty terras on that stupid guitar, in the hopes that it would make him love her more. _That guitar is mine, _she thought, her brain buzzing with the prehistoric liquor. _I'll take it back from him, and make him realize how much I've done for him. He will realize that he should love me. _In her drunken, infuriated state, she failed to realize how similar her logic was to Lucas'. She could only think of having revenge on the boy who rejected her.

Arriving at the Shannon's home, Skye drunkenly stumbled up onto the patio and barged into the unit. She didn't even think about who would be home. She just wanted to take the guitar away.

Stumbling into the open kitchen and living area, she saw a lone figure, hunched over the low dining table, clutching a bottle.

Jim Shannon looked up. Instead of drawing his gun and telling Skye to stand down, his sad eyes surveyed her confusedly.

"Skye..." he said slowly, "what are _you_ doing _here_?"


	5. Chapter 5

_Earlier that day..._

Jim had been planning this evening for several days. It was nearly one year since they'd made it through the portal as a family, something he wanted to celebrate with his wife of two decades.

But, after their return to Terra Nova following the defeat of the Phoenix Group and the Sixers, she had been busier than ever and his job as sheriff had, surprisingly, been uneventful.

Three months passed during which he patrolled the colony daily, but found nothing of interest or note. The colonists were dedicated to rebuilding their homes and livelihoods. He was put in charge of implementing new security checks, but the bureaucracy of it all bored him to death. He wouldn't bring this up with Taylor, however. The Commander had enough to take care of- rebuilding the colony and restarting civilization- without his Sheriff complaining about tedious tasks.

Elizabeth, however, was even busier than before the Occupation. Healing wounds incurred during the cleanup and rebuilding had barely slowed. Every evening she would return home to the Shannons' unit, too exhausted to prepare a proper dinner, complaining of back pain and wanting to lie down and sleep. When he woke up suddenly in the middle of the night, plagued by nightmares of Golad, explosions and torture, Elisabath remained fast asleep. Jim knew she was doing her best to help the colony, but wished there was something more he could do to help his wife.

He had tried. One day, after a particularly dull patrol around the colony, he decided to stop by the medical complex. Wandering through the building, he thought he heard the familiar sound of his wife sighing contentedly. Turning towards the sound, he saw a curtained-off area. He drew back the curtain quietly.

In the room, undisturbed by his slight movement, he saw Elisabeth lying flat on her stomach on a biobed with her white lab coat and shirt pushed up, revealing the golden expanse of the lower half of her back. Standing above her, massaging the area, was Malcolm.

"I remember how you used to get so tense before exams in college, Lis," Malcolm chuckled softly.

She didn't respond, just sighed again. Jim didn't know what to do. It was the first time in weeks that she seemed relaxed and happy. His blood boiled, but he didn't want to cause a scene and make his wife's day worse. They could talk later, at home.

But that night she returned to their unit just as stressed, frazzled and exhausted as always, and he decided to wait until she was in a better state of mind to bring it up. After all, he trusted Elisabeth and just wanted her to be happy.

Things still hadn't gotten back to the way they had been before the attack on the colony. Jim decided to do something special for his wife to commemorate an important date in their lives. During his usual, uneventful patrol of the colony, he had picked up some special things for dinner, including two bottles of the prehistoric "wine" that the colonists were fond of using to celebrate. Maddy and Josh both had plans that night, so Jim decided a quiet dinner with just Zoe and Elisabeth, followed by some one-on-one time between the couple after they had put their youngest daughter to bed.

But when he got home, Elisabeth was already there, frantically packing a knapsack with some clothing and her toiletries. Zoe was following her around, whining.

"But, _Mommy_, I don't _want _you to go."

"Sorry, sweetie, but there is an emergency at an outpost and they need a doctor right away."

"Can't they take another doctor? Doctor Simon?" Jim asked, confusedly.

"Afraid not, Jim. They need someone with training in immunology, which would be me. We had another specialist arranged to come through on the Eleventh but … " Elisabeth continued packing her bag, running her hand through her dark hair, exasperated.

"Well, will you be back later tonight?" Jim's plans for a quiet evening were quickly falling apart.

"It's at Outpost 12, which is more than 50 klicks away. We'll spend the night there and be back tomorrow, hopefully with the people needing treatment. Don't worry, I'll be with Malcolm and a couple members of security. We will be fine."

Zoe started to cry, grasping her mother's scrubs.

"Jim, help me with her, please."

Jim detached Zoe from her mother with difficulty, and held her like a much younger child as her mother quickly gave both of them kisses and hurried out the door. Jim sat down on the couch, astonished at how rapidly his plans fell apart, and how easily his wife left her whole family to go on a dangerous mission far away. Zoe cried into his arms for half an hour, until she exhausted herself and fell fast asleep. He carried her to her bedroom and tucked her into her small bed. He didn't even know if she had eaten dinner or taken a bath. Lis hadn't told him what to do before she left.

He realized that he hadn't even unpacked the bags of cooking supplies that he had bought in preparation of his special night with his wife. He slumped over to the kitchen and started to put away the food. One of the bottles of wine, however, he held in his hand for a moment, sighed, and then opened it and poured a glass. He took the bottle and glass to the living room area and sat down on the couch, alone.


	6. Chapter 6

"Skye... what are _you_ doing _here_?"

She had never seen the Sheriff like this. She remembered how he shouted and pointed his gun at her when she ran back to tell the Commander about Lucas. She remembered him interrogating her about destroying the blood sample in the medical center. He had always seemed so professional, so strong. Here he was, alone and slumped forward sitting on the couch, with two bottles and a glass in front of him.

Her veins were still running hot with rage and lust and alcohol, and this situation was too much to process. She was standing in the Shannons' housing unit, alone with Jim Shannon, who appeared to be as drunk or even more drunk than she was.

Before she could respond, he tried to stand up. Underestimating his sobriety after drinking while seated for so long, he stumbled and fell onto his knees. Skye instinctively stepped forward and helped him up, her small arm around his strong back and waist.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Jim rubbed his face with his hand, a puff of breath escaping his mouth.

"Elisabeth is gone," he slurred, unable to explain further.

Skye, once again, did not know how to react. She looked into his face to try to read some other type of signal from the tall man. When she looked into his melancholy blue eyes, she was reminded of Josh, and her pulse started racing again. Jim's arm was still around her shoulder and the sides of their bodies were pressed together. The room started spinning, the left half of her felt like it was on fire and she kept staring at Jim's face, wondering how to handle the situation. Her body responded at the same time as Jim's.

They fell onto the couch, clumsily and roughly kissing. His large hands clutched her tiny waist and she ran her hands over his biceps and chest and clean-shaven face.

It was brief and quiet. She unbuckled his belt like she knew what she was doing, and pushed up the skirt of her dress. She bit down on his clothed shoulder as he entered her. It felt warm and good and wild, and was over quickly. Her head was still spinning when he collapsed on top of her.

Soon after that, they sat up and arranged their clothing.

Jim was the first to speak, quietly. His hands were clasped in his lap and he stared down at them.

"Skye…"

Skye got up, stumbling and hovered towards the door.

"It's okay, Mr. Shannon, I won't tell anyone. This did not happen and will not happen again, ever." She was so confused and drunk and hot and… content. She nodded once and left out the front door, leaving Jim still sitting on the couch.

She should have felt terrible. She should have felt like she betrayed Josh, and Elisabeth and Taylor, _again. _Instead, all she could think about was Lucas and the promise she had made to him. She was no longer bound to the dead man who had controlled her life and dreams for so long. She had finally beaten his sick, twisted game. Her only regret was that he was probably dead- at her own hand- and would never know how she had won back her freedom. She smiled triumphantly and slept soundly that night.


	7. Chapter 7

One week later, Skye was beginning to feel more complex emotions about the night of Tasha's party. Nothing had changed in her life besides the missing tracking device. She still spent most of her time in the infirmary, cleaning up after the doctors, nurses and patients. Her coworkers and the other colonists treated her the same: warily and politely, but she knew they still believed she couldn't be trusted. She spent the rest of her time with her mother; discussing ways she could entertain herself while Skye was at work.

Working alongside Elisabeth Shannon was difficult. Skye could not force herself to make eye contact with the woman, and tried to avoid getting assignments from her. The doctor was so busy that she didn't seem to notice the change in Skye's demeanor.

Josh had tried to stop her on her way back from work one day. She was plodding home, exhausted, and felt a hand grab her arm. She was startled by the contact, and half-expected to turn and see Lucas Taylor's psychotic glare. But it was Josh.

"We should talk, Skye."

"Now is not a good time, Josh. I need to get home to my mother."

"But… Skye… I…" Skye swiftly continued home, her heart racing and stomach clenching. Would she ever be able to be around that boy again? It was like being a spy all over again: hiding a secret from everyone she thought she cared about.

Deborah had prepared the whole evening meal that night, which was a first for her. She was doing much better, and very pleased with herself. She was talkative at the table, which would have delighted Skye, but she had too many thoughts and feelings to process before she could think about anyone elses'.

"I think I'm doing well enough that I won't need you to take so much care of me, soon."

Skye looked up, startled and concerned.

"Oh, don't worry, Bucket, I'll always need you, but as a daughter and not as a caretaker. Besides, you should go out more often, spend time with your friends, and maybe meet a nice boy to marry!"

Skye nearly choked on the food she was chewing. Deborah chuckled.

"You're a very beautiful young woman, Skye Alexandria. You deserve to have someone else take care of you for once."

"I'm fine for now… thanks, Mom." Skye mumbled.

"I could ask the Commander if he knows of any eligible young men who are looking to start courting."

"I just want to spend time with you, Mom. You are the most important thing in my life." Skye reached across the table and squeezed her mother's frail hand.

That night, Skye could not fall asleep, even though her body was exhausted from her usual day of work. Her thoughts kept her awake, her guilt amplifying by the minute. She was lying to everyone again. And her secret was just as devastating as before. _This is all Lucas' fault._ Again, he was confusing her. What did he want from her? Did he just want her to suffer for the rest of her life from his manipulations? He had ruined any chance at happiness.

The next day at the infirmary, Skye was organizing medical kits when Dr. Shannon yelled for her.

"Skye, I need you to come here a minute!"

Skye's heart dropped, but she composed herself quickly. Like a good spy. Like a good liar. She walked over to the biobed Elisabeth was standing by.

"Skye, I need you to just sit with him and make sure he stays awake while I run and get some supplies. He was just hit very hard in the head with a wooden beam and might have a serious concussion."

"Okay," Skye nodded obediently and turned to the patient. Elisabeth was gone before she would have had the chance to register the shock and terror on Skye's face. A similar, but dazed expression graced the face of the man sitting on the bed.

"Hi… Mr. Shannon," Skye said awkwardly.

Jim slowly composed himself, obviously stunned by the blow from the beam.

"Skye… you… how are you?" The Sherriff obviously had no idea how to react to this situation.

"I'm fine. How are you?" Skye tried to keep their conversation light and unsuspicious.

"Skye… I am _so sorry _for what happened the other night. I don't… I haven't… I can't…" Jim was struggling to form a sentence, and getting worked up in the process.

"It's okay, Mr. Shannon. It's fine, just stay calm and your wife will be back with some medicine and to do a scan soon. She's probably worried since you just had that bad injury and were in a coma." Skye reached out to touch his arm, but pulled away abruptly. They stared uncomfortably at each other for a moment.

Elisabeth returned with an armful of medicine. She dropped it all onto the bedside table as she rushed to make sure her husband was stable. Skye saw a small, blue bottle roll off the table and under the biobed.

She returned to her task, trying to shake the horrible feelings that awkward encounter had driven up. All she could see was Lucas, laughing at her, twirling her hair.

Before she left for the evening, she returned to the bed where Jim had been treated. She stooped down and reached under the bed, grasping the small bottle and quickly pocketing it.

_It can make you forget anything._


	8. Chapter 8

Once again, Skye could not fall asleep. Lucas consumed her thoughts. _Is he really dead? They never found his body. He couldn't have survived._

But Skye remembered her shots. She hadn't shot to kill. If she had wanted to, she could have hit him in the head, or severed an artery through his neck. Her father and Taylor had trained her to always hit her target. No, she had shot his arm and shoulder. She just wanted to stop him from killing his father.

_Why? Why didn't I kill him? _

She knew the answer to that question, as well. The feelings she got when she tricked him into the ambush, when she stroked his face, when she taunted him, when he grabbed her hair, when he stared into her eyes when he went to stab his father for a second time. It was the dark, warm feeling in the pit of her stomach and the shivers up her spine. She couldn't get rid of Lucas Taylor for good. She, selfishly, couldn't kill the only man who wanted her. But now, she wished she had. She needed to know he was gone forever.

It was 0330 when Skye snuck out of her housing unit. She grabbed the small blue bottle and a canteen from her bag as she left. She snuck out of the colony through the same drainage ditch she had used four months earlier. The plants scratched her soft hands. She relished the pain, already feeling more alive. Running through the jungle, ignoring the sounds of the howlers and more dangerous creatures, she felt alive and invincible and free.

Her first stop was Hunter's secret still. She filled her canteen with the potent liquid and downed a large mouthful. The alcohol calmed and ignited her at the same time, burning her throat and spinning her head. After a few more sips, she took out the small blue bottle.

_Azimeth. _Josh had gotten in trouble for stealing it once. But he had gotten caught. Skye wouldn't get caught. She was a good spy.

Sitting on the bank of the murky swamp, she unscrewed the cap, tilted her head back, and poured the small amount of the drug down her throat. The feeling washed over her almost instantly. Like a heavy blanket wrapped around her whole body, and her mind. All she could think about was her own arms and legs and skin. She leaned her head back and sighed, contentedly. Behind her there was a rustle in the trees.

_Oh, well. _Her drug-addled brain didn't care about Slashers or Nykos or Sixers any more. She wasn't even sure they actually existed outside of her nightmares.

"Bucket," hissed a voice in her ear.

She turned around slowly. Green eyes flashed out of the darkness. The butt of a gun hit her forehead and once again Lucas Taylor made her world go black.


	9. Chapter 9

It was dawn when she awoke. At first, all she saw was a gray mist. She could hear the roar of water close by. She looked down and saw that her clothes were wet from the mist, but she didn't feel cold at all. The drugs and drink were still mingling in her blood.

The remains of a fire and a crude campsite lay several yards away. Among burnt sticks and refuse, Lucas Taylor sat, sharpening a spear with a knife. He looked just as wild as the first time she saw him. He was thinner, paler, as if he had been very sick. She sat up.

"You're awake, dear _sister_." His words were venomous with no hint of the mocking smile from before.

She stared at him, dumbfounded.

"You're alive."

"Well, spotted, brilliant Bucket. Surprised?"

Skye couldn't respond. She couldn't think.

"I should kill you," he said slowly, rising from his seat and walking towards her.

Skye didn't move. He sat down next to her and cupped her face in his hand. She closed her eyes.

"You've changed, Bucket," Lucas examined her face closely. "I trust you've kept our promise."

Skye's eyes flashed open and stared directly into his, defiant and with a glint of triumph.

"You didn't? Why, this is not good news," Lucas sneered, shaking his head. "Who? Who was it? Shannon?"

Unable to conceal her emotions due to her intoxicated state, a look of surprise, confusion and terror flashed over Skye's visage. Lucas cocked his head, perplexed.

"You seem surprised by my guess. But the Shannon boy would be the obvious choice. Unless… you thought I meant, _another_ Shannon." The psychotic genius gears in his head worked too quickly.

Lucas grasped her hair in his hands and pulled her face close to his. "_Jim Shannon?_" He hissed, enraged.

Skye lifted her chin boldly and raised a single eyebrow. This was what she had wanted. She wanted Lucas to know that he no longer had control over her. She was a woman who could play his games on his level, not a younger sister he could manipulate and control. She glanced at his lips, taking in his whole expression, his face falling apart from its previous maniacal grin.

Unexpectedly, Lucas threw her back onto the forest floor, laughing madly. He was even more unhinged than he had been in Terra Nova. Skye scuttled away from him warily. The drugs made the forest floor tilt below her and the trees turned bottle blue and then jet-black and then green again. Green like his eyes.

She was so thirsty. Seeing a canteen on the ground, she crawled over, grabbed it and took a large gulp. It was not water. She then remembered filling her canteen from Hunter's still. Any sobriety she may have been starting to feel fled her body, and she was once again trapped in a dizzy, unstable world with Lucas Taylor.

Lucas was leaning against a tree, arms crossed, contemplating the girl sprawled on the jungle floor in front of him. He laughed again, and then picked up the canteen and took a drink himself. They stared at one another for a long time.

"What are you going to do, Lucas?" Skye finally asked.

Lucas smirked and walked towards her once more. He crouched down and cupped her face in his hand and brought it close to his. Skye's lips parted and she tried to focus on his green eyes.

"You mean with you, Bucket? What am I going to do with you?" Lucas paused, staring into her blue eyes and tilting his head to the side. The shivers ran up Skye's spine and she started to draw imperceptibly closer to him.

"Nothing. I'm not going to do anything with you, Bucket. All I care about is destroying my father. You? I had plans for you at one point, but then you betrayed me, shot me, and chose him. No, I'm not going to do anything with you."

Skye struggled to understand what Lucas had just said. _He didn't want her anymore? She meant nothing to him. All of those months being tortured by the thought of what he would do to her were worthless._

Desperately, Skye placed her hand on Lucas' chest, trying to bring him closer to her, to feel his heat again, to make him want her again.

"I must destroy my father. I told you, not that you would understand, our relationship is like something out of a Greek tragedy." Lucas' expression was one of almost pity now. Towards his stupid little sister who just would never understand. She hated it. She hated him. She spit out her next question venomously:

"Yeah, but isn't it a little too late to fuck your mo-"

With surprising strength for his fragile appearance, Lucas lifted Skye off of the ground with his hand around her throat and started to walk towards the sound of the rushing water. Skye clawed fiercely at his hand, kicking her legs.

Suddenly, the whir of a sonic pistol interrupted them. Lucas glanced up and, before Skye knew what was happening, her back was pinned against his front, a knife at her throat, staring at Commander Taylor and Jim Shannon, pointing their weapons directly at her once again.

"Lucas," Taylor said calmly, "let her go."

Lucas scoffed. "Well, well, well. You've finally come back. Did you think I was dead, father? Did you think your ridiculous utopia would be safe from your life's greatest embarrassment?"

"Lucas, let her go and then we can talk."

"No, I knew you would come back. I also knew it only be a matter of time before Terra Nova fell apart without access to Hope Plaza and the future. Have people started to realize that they're living under a dictator who can't even take care of his own son? A city which belongs to one man is no city, Taylor. Terra Nova will fail."

Lucas had been slowly backing up during his speech. Dragging Skye with him. The roar of water falling was right behind them. Skye realized that they were at the top of Snakehead Falls, the place she had brought Josh so long ago. The place where Lucas had written his equations to show his father he was still alive and working towards his destruction.

Jim and Taylor had followed them, fingers on the triggers of their sonic weapons, aimed at Skye's heart.

Finally, Commander Taylor spoke.

"Let her go, Lucas. Let her go and I will give myself up to you."

Skye's confused eyes filled with tears. The man whose approval she had so desperately sought for so long was sacrificing himself for her.

Taylor was inching closer to them. When he was about three meters from the pair at the top of the falls, Lucas shoved Skye forward onto her knees. Taylor rushed towards his son and grabbed him. The two men struggled briefly and then fell over the falls in a violent embrace. Skye screamed and rushed after them, but Jim grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

"Let's go," he said, stonily.

They began to walk back to Terra Nova in silence. After stumbling through the jungle for several klicks, Skye felt the effects of the alcohol and drugs start to fade.

"Mr. Shannon, I'm so sorry about what happened. I just want you to know how sorry I am. About everything."

Jim glanced over his shoulder at her. "It's alright, Skye. I'm sorry, too."

"I'm not going to tell anyone, you know. I won't tell anyone or ever try to use it against you or your family. I just wanted to run away from it all last night. But I guess I got myself into even more trouble."

Jim didn't say anything, but the tension between them felt a little lessened for the rest of the trek back to the colony. When they arrived at the gates, the colonists milling around glanced at them curiously. Their suspicious gazes lingered on Skye.

"Go home, Skye. We'll wait for Taylor to get back."

She didn't know if he would come back. And it would be all her fault if he didn't.


	10. Chapter 10

She napped fitfully all morning and afternoon on the couch in her unit. Her mother, after receiving no response to her questions, sat with her daughter and stroked her hair.

Finally, around 1800, someone knocked on the door. Skye's mother answered it.

"I've here to escort Skye to the Commander's office." Corporal Reilly said, unemotionally.

Deborah hugged her daughter tightly, and Skye followed Reilly down the road. It was entirely possible that Jim was waiting for her in the Commander's office to tell her that Taylor wasn't coming back, and that she would be thrown in the brig and tried as a traitor again.

Reilly escorted her up the steps, like she had been escorted to Lucas before. This time, however, waiting behind the desk was the elder Taylor, who dismissed Reilly silently.

He looked at Skye for a long time. Longer that he had since before he had found out she was the Sixer spy.

"I've been a poor excuse for a guardian, Skye." He said at last. "Both to you, and my own son. I put the needs of my soldiers, and then this colony before my own kin. I thought that would make me a better leader, but it has only made me a sad, bitter and lonely man. Today, I realized that it has not only hurt me, but it hurt others far more."

Skye didn't speak, but her eyes filled with tears and she looked pleadingly at Taylor.

"I have much to atone for. I have much to change. I thought you would be fine now that Deborah is back, but I guess we also need to fix our relationship, as well."

Skye nodded slowly, tears now sliding down her cheeks.

"I'd like to schedule a weekly dinner or tea with you and your mother, to talk about your life and her recovery. Just an informal, casual family meeting. Do Sunday evenings still work for you?"

That was the day they had had their weekly dinners before everything had been destroyed.

"Yes," Skye said.

"Good, well I guess that would be tomorrow night, then? I'm looking forward to it."

He offered a hand across his desk. Skye placed her small hand in his, looked into his brilliantly blue eyes, and smiled.

Knowing she was dismissed, she turned to leave. Before she crossed the threshold, however, the Commander called her name.

"Oh and, Skye? Please try to limit your nonprofessional interactions with the Shannon family for the time being."

Her stomach lurched and she stared in horror at the Commander. His expression, however, lacked any hint of judgment or pity or anger. It was an order, and she would be a good soldier and obey.


	11. Chapter 11

She arrived back home without an escort. She was happy to tell her mother about Taylor's plans to come for dinner.

She walked through her door and saw her mother smiling and sitting at the kitchen table with a tall, broad shouldered, brown-haired man. Skye was briefly terrified, until the man turned around. Tim Curran smiled shyly at her.

"Hello, Skye. I thought I would check on your mother. She looks like she's doing very well and says that you've been taking care of her."

"Yeah, she's much better now. Mostly thanks to you, Tim." Skye smiled, glancing between Curran and her mother.

"Tim was so wonderful when he rescued me from Mira. I'm so glad he stopped by for a visit. He's a fine young man." Deborah smiled kindly at the former exile.

"Why don't we invite him to stay for dinner, Mom?" Skye surprised herself by asking.

"What a lovely idea, Bucket. Why don't you go wash up and Tim can help me set the table."

Skye realized that she was still covered in dirt and scratches from her night in the forest. She took a quick shower and then the three sat down to dinner.

At some point during their pleasant dinner, Tim accidentally mentioned that he had received special permission to visit them that night. Skye smiled kindly at him when he seemed embarrassed, remembering that he still was wearing the ankle monitor.

He left soon after the meal, thanking Deborah profusely and promising to stop by again soon.

Skye and her mother sat down in their living room. Deborah wrapped an arm around her daughter and squeezed her tightly.

"He is a nice young man, Bucket. Please don't feel pressured, but I was just thinking that you two might get along."

Skye closed her eyes and smiled. "Thanks, Mom. I think we might, too."


End file.
